A good
understanding of a country may help you to make the most of
your trip by giving you an insight into the minds of the nationals.
That is the purpose of this series.

The author is a fluent French and Italian speaker and is founder of
UK translation companyLingo24

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Getting to know... the
French

Manners. When tackling
the subject of French national traits, it’s probably worth discussing
one of the most commonly perpetuated French stereotypes. Are French
people rude?

That’s a complex question and it’s important not to generalize.
Parisians generally don't like tourists and can see them as a bit of
a pain. But any more so than locals from other big cities, such as London?
Probably not.

French people are not rude as such. They certainly have a unique way
about them and they are very direct and matter-of-fact. Whilst British
people tend to skirt around a subject if it helps them to be more polite,
French people are more willing to express displeasure or impatience.

But it’s not all a one-way barrage of negativity. French people
can also be very nice and will give praise when praise is due. It's
more about up front honesty and directness. Surely that’s a good
thing?

It can be difficult to make friends with French people but once you
do, you do become good friends.

Language. French is spoken
natively by almost 90% of the population, and most of those that speak
minority languages will also speak French.

Minority languages include German (spoken in the eastern provinces
of Alsace-Lorraine and Moselle), Flemish (north-east), Italian (near
the Italian border), Basque, Catalan, Breton and a few other vernaculars.

It’s worth noting these tongues hold no sway from a legal/official
perspective. And if you want to get by in France, don’t consider
enrolling in any language course other than French – French people
are immensely proud and protective of their language. And you will go
a long way in the country if you make the effort to get really good
at the language – it will ultimately shape your experience.

Generally, French people really like it when you speak their language
well. Similarly, they will also often try to practice their English
with you. However, if you don't make an effort to speak French, they'll
often not speak English back, even if they can speak it... just to make
a point!

Nationalism. French people
are really proud of being French and think France is the best at everything
- particularly when talking about culture, intellectuals and food! France
is very self-reliant and the general feeling is that the French way
is the best way.

Within France, there is a bit of a north/south divide, which is mostly
good-spirited, but often you get a sense that there is genuine emotion
behind a verbally-expressed condemnation of another region. And people
in Paris think everyone outside of Paris is parochial.

Politics. Where to start
with this one? First, let’s get the basics out the way. France
is a semi-presidential democratic republic. The President is head of
state, whilst the Prime Minister is head of government.

To use another often-cited French Stereotype, French people really
do like a good strike. If the French workforce doesn’t like a
decision from the powers-that-be, they will down tools and refuse to
work. This is their god-given right as a French "citoyen".

With politics, the French people are remarkably easy-going and tolerant
about things that would be unimaginable in the US or UK. In France,
it’s less about acceptance than it is about expectance and French
politicians have a long history of sexual promiscuity. Among mourners
at President François Mitterrand’s funeral in 1996 were
his mistress and the daughter they had together. And his wife.

Here’s another illogical attribute: French people often seem
to be very averse to change. But simultaneously, they’re very
vocal about reforms.

Drink. France has a big
cafe culture, with countless coffee shops and patisseries dotted around
most towns and cities. And the French do love a good wine. But it’s
all about moderation in France, a nice bottle of red with a meal is
about the norm, and drinking ‘to get drunk’ isn’t
part of French culture. Though of course, there are those who do love
to drink to excess.

Families. In France,
the family unit is the adhesive of the country and each person has their
own duties and roles. The extended family is usually on-hand to provide
both emotional and financial support. However, since the 1960s, marriages
rates have decreased and divorces have seen a sharp rise. And same-sex
marriage is still not recognized in France.

Although the French have a reputation as being a romantic bunch, it’s
probably fair to say that their attitude towards marriage is a little
more practical. And families generally have fewer children than other
countries – but parents do take their duties as guardians/providers
seriously.

Religion. Before the
French Revolution in 1789, Roman Catholicism ruled the roost in France;
this is no longer the case. 1905 heralded the official split of ‘State’
and the Catholic Church.

At the turn of the twentieth century, France was a predominantly rural
country with very conservative, Catholic values, but in the century
or so since then, people have moved more into the cities and the population,
on the whole, has a more secular attitude. Some polls have indicated
that about a third of the population in France are agnostic, whilst
another third are atheist. And France is home to the biggest Jewish
population in Europe.

Sport. As a very patriotic
country, sport plays a massive part in France’s national identity.
Football (soccer) and rugby union are probably the two most popular
sports, with cycling, tennis, handball, basketball and sailing also
popular. The French national football team has enjoyed a lot of recent
success, winning the 1998 World Cup on home soil, followed by the European
Championships two years later.

Domestically, Marseilles, Lyon, Bordeaux, Auxerre, Monaco and Paris
Saint-Germain are the main ‘big’ teams. And with the Tour
De France and French Open tennis at Roland Garros, it’s clear
that France is a big sporting country.

Foreigners. This is where
France’s reputation as ‘rude’ may arise. Unless you
make a good effort to speak the local lingo, French people may not be
so inclined to be overly friendly. But remember that Paris can be particularly
bad for this, because of the large number of tourists. With large immigrant
populations arriving from the north of Africa over the past half-century,
some tensions have also arisen within France. There have been a number
of riots in recent years, particularly around housing estates with large
immigrant backgrounds. Many believe that the riots were sparked by rising
anger at discrimination and racism, particularly within the police.

Food. French cuisine?
Magnifique! French food is good, but French people can be particularly
snobbish about food and if it's not French, then it can’t possibly
be good food. Despite the fact MacDonald’s is now the
order of the day for millions of people across the country, there is
a real notion that British people eat junk food and don't know anything
about food or wine.

It’s important to mention waiters. Waiters can be really rude
- it's seen as a skilled profession in France, and the whole ‘have
a nice day’ concept hasn’t caught on yet. Many would say
that’s no bad thing, however.

Driving. Firstly, France
is a lovely country to drive around. But avoid driving in Paris if you
can – it’s a nightmare. The minimum driving age in France
is 18 and if you’re taking kids, remember that children under
ten must ride in the back seat.

And whilst the French do love a good wine, drink-drive regulations
are strictly enforced. Oh, and if you’re buying fuel, petrol stations
at supermarkets are normally a lot cheaper than regular ‘standalone’
ones.

Queuing. Trying to accomplish
anything in France will normally involve registering with some government
office, and then you'll have to trek from one queue to the next collecting
stamps and forms – France love a good bit of red-tape.

Greeting. As with most
western countries, handshakes are a common form of greeting. Friends
may greet each other by kissing on the cheeks (once on each cheek).
When entering a shop, ‘bonjour’ or ‘bonsoir’
should be followed by ‘Monsieur’ or ‘Madame’,
and a polite ‘au revoir’ will suffice when leaving.

Fashion. Similar to Italians,
French people are a pretty well dressed crowd. And their idea of ‘casual’
is not as relaxed as it might be in the UK or US. Casual will probably
still involve a shirt, and maybe shoes. But this will only really matter
if you’re going to be in a semi-formal environment, such as a
restaurant. Otherwise, your ‘baggy pants’ and ‘sneakers’
will be absolutely fine.

Business. French people
would much rather carry out business in French. If you can’t speak
French, then at least learn a few key phrases and perhaps learn how
to apologise for not speaking French – it may help you build some
foundations. Appointments are usually necessary and should be made up
to two weeks in advance. Meetings are normally for discussing issues
in depth, rather than for making decisions. And don’t exaggerate
anything – French people aren’t overly fond of overstatement,
especially in business.

In terms of business dress, this is normally understated but stylish.
And French people do appreciate the finer things in life, which is why
good accessories will always make an impression.

Europe. There is strong
consensus amongst French people for the need to preserve the various
French cultures at a local, regional level, as long as the French national
identity doesn’t suffer. The influence of foreign cultures and
languages on French culture is a big issue in France, in particular
American culture and the English language. From a European perspective,
there is certainly an undercurrent of anxiety over how the French identity
will be influenced within the EU set-up.

France, however, has played a major part in the forming of the European
Union, both at the initial stages and in the ongoing policies. France
has been accused of putting its national interests ahead of Europe...
but then what country hasn’t?

France’s stance on ‘Europe’ can best be summed up
by former President François Mitterrand’s statement: “France
is our homeland, but Europe is our future”. Ambiguous? You bet.

Humour. French people
do value ‘wit’. This can be intellectual, sarcastic or hostile.
French humour tends to be very much about ‘others’ –
so self-deprecation isn’t common, but combative mockery aimed
at others is. And this may be where the ‘rude’ stereotype
stems from. The French do like to tease, but it’s not normally
malicious. French people also love a good ‘ethnic’ joke
– often at the Belgians’ expense (for being stupid). Or
about ‘lazy’ southerners.

Language is also an important part of French humour - they do love
a good pun. But to understand it you really will need to speak exceptionally
good French!

One last word of warning after this insight — be careful
of the stereotypes! Whilst you can always draw a thread of similarity
between the nationals of a country, the extent and size of that thread
may vary widely!

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